Celtics Desire To Sign Center Confirmed, Point Guard Exit Was Expected

Boston Celtics are still making additions to their roster ahead of the new campaign and Max Strus became their latest addition after the guard impressed playing for the Celtics in the summer league. But the Boston franchise’s main priority at the moment is to reach an agreement with Tacko Fall, who impressed in the summer league after going undrafted in the 2019 draft.

Fall, who went undrafted, was given a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract by the Celtics. He went on to play all five games for the C’s in the summer league and impressed by averaging 7.2 points and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 77 percent from the field.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge admitted recently that the team was very serious about Fall’s development and their desire to make him into a player. He also revealed that he could start the season in the NBA by taking their open roster spot that was vacated by Guerschon Yabusele, who was waived earlier this month.

The 23-year-old, however, is yet to sign up with the Celtics and Ainge revealed that they are trying to get a contract sorted with the center, who played last season for the University of Central Florida. The undrafted talent made shooting from under the rim look easy during the summer league owing to his wingspan of 8ft-4inch and standing reach of 10ft-2in.

"We're trying to still get a contract done with Tacko," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Toucher and Rich." "We haven't signed him yet. So I really can't say much more about Tacko than we're just trying to get him in the fold."

Ainge, meanwhile, also spoke about Kyrie Irving’s departure from the Celtics and revealed that he had an inkling the point guard will leave Boston to join Brooklyn Nets with whom he eventually agreed a four-year deal in free agency. He also made it clear that Irving was always “open and respectful” about his plans.

"He did express to me on a couple of occasions between March and the end of [the season] that he really wanted to go home," Ainge said. "I got the impression at that point that he wanted to go play in Brooklyn more than he wanted to play in New York."

“Kyrie and I talked often,” the Celtics GM added. “He was always respectful and open with me about what was going on in his mind and his heart. And I just had a feeling. At the same time, Kyrie, on his own merits, came out in training camp last year and announced that he was gonna resign. That wasn’t me pushing him in any way.”